Assay-furnace



(No Model.)

W. HOSKINS.

ASSA'Y PURNAGE.

Patented Jan. 4, 1898.

I gunm'gg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HOSKINS, OF LA GRANG, ILLINOIS.

ASSAY-FU RNAC E.

SPECIFICATION formngpart of Letters Patent No. 596,707, dated January 4, 1898. 'Ap'plition led January 2, 1897. Serial No. 617,830. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HosKINs, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Grange, in the county of- Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Assay-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements inv assaying-furnaces employing liquid or gaseous fuel and of the small or portable type. In furnaces of this class adapted for crucible melting and cupellation it has been usual hitherto to provide a single combustion-chamber having means for supporting a removable niuflie, and in their use it has been necessary to take out the muffle before a crucible could be inserted. In such a construction, of course, only one class of Work, either melting, scorifying, or cupelling, can be carried on at a time, and the removal or insertion and initial heating of the Inuffle involve labor and time besides the danger of breaking the mufiie in handling.

My object is to provide a combined crucible and muftle furnace of the above type of an improved construction in which both kinds of Work may be carried on at once and which shall be particularly compact, easy to transport, and desirable for the use of prospectors, as well as assayers generally.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved furnace; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section taken on line 2 of Fig. l and showing a burner, also in section; .and Fig. 3, a cross-section taken on line 3 of Fig. l.

The body portion A of the furnace is molded out of suitable lire-clay or other highlyrefractory material, provided with a metal sheathing t, and 'formed with two chambers B and C. B is the Crucible-chamber, round in horizontal cross section, comparatively small at the base, upwardly flaring, and open at the top. Extending through the body A at one end to the lower part of the Cruciblechamber is a burner-opening s, opposite which is an opening s', leading to the chamber C. The chamber C, or muffle-chamber, is flat at the base and arched. At its top is an outletopening s2, and in one end is an opening r to receive a mufle C. The muftie its the opening r closely and rests at the corners of its inner end upon supports or shoulders 7"',which are integral with the furnace-body. When necessary, at long intervals, to replace it with a nevir one.

B' is a removable cover for the Cruciblechamber, comprising a disk sheathed circumferentially with sheet metal and provided with a bail or handle q. In the center of the cover B is an opening or peep-hole q', for which is provided a removable cap q2. A sheet-metal chimney p may be provided at the opening s2. An oil or gas burner D of suitable construction is mounted at the burner-opening, and the body portion may rest upon a suitable metal stand E. The usual removable plug C2 is provided for the muftle.

In operation the flame from the burner D shoots through the burner-opening into or across the Crucible-chamber, and when the said chamber is covered the hot products of combustion pass through the opening s to the chamber C, where they envelop the muffle and then escape through the outlet s2' and chimney p.

vThe furnace is ready at all times for crucible melting or cupellation. In assay-work requiring both processes the entire operation may be performed in the one furnace without the necessity of handling the mufde. While the crucible -work is being performed the mui-lie becomes heated and ready to receive a cupel at any time, and, when desired, both processes may be carried on simultaneously, thus permitting two or tmore assays -to be made at once.

What I claim as new, and desire to secu-re by Letters Patent, is-

A portable combined Crucible and mufiie furnace, comprising, in combination, a body portion provided with a crucible-chamber having an open top and a burner-opening at its base, and provided with an arched muffle- IOO chamber transverse of said body portion and communicating with the erueblechamber through a passage in line with the burneropenng, said mufe-chamber being of arched form and having an outlet in its top, and an opening in its side, a mufe fitting through the side opening and supported in the mufflechamber to provide a space between it and the Walls and bottom of the chamber,l and a removable @over for the opening in the top of 1o the Crucible-chamber, al1 substantially as and for the purposes Set forth.

WILLIAM HOSKINS. In presence of- R. T. SPENCER, M. J. FROST. 

